One thing I hope will happen with our cheapskates series of posts is that the ideas will be applicable to more than just geeky things, but to saving money in general. At least for most things. The last one, on price matching, is definitely applicable outside of the gaming world! So it’s time for a new instalment all about: open boxes!

except the open boxes I’m talking about have awesome things inside!

I have been in the market for a gaming headset for a while so I can yell at people when I’m playing online games. After finally deciding the Sony official PS3 wireless headset would be the best for me, I had to wait for it to go on sale (because I can never bring myself to pay full price). So on my religious Sunday visit to Best Buy, I found a surprise!

finally!

Success! Savings! This is an excellent route to go if you are in the need for something and can’t wait for it to go on sale. Sometimes this seems like a little bit of a worrisome route. Why is the box open? Was it broken? Well, rest easy, because I asked the Best Buy team! Typically, an open box discount is from a return within their return date policy. Maybe the person changed thier mind, maybe it wasn’t 100%, whatever. But these are never broken! If something is returned for being faulty it isn’t reshelved.

Sometimes you can also find open box deals on damaged boxes. If the box was ripped or if there was damage in transport or while being unpackaged it will be discounted as well!

Furthermore, open box deals still qualify for any regular purchase benefits. SO, if my headset goes on sale within 30 days they will match the price difference! Not only that, but open box purchasers get an additional 5% off for buying an open box in the first place!

This was a great option for me. Previous sales take this headset down to 79.99, and I got mine for 84.99 without having to wait for the sale. It works amazingly well, and I still have 30 days for it to go on sale or to return it if I’m not satisfied!

Win!

Please share any open box awesomeness you have saved on in the comments below!